Charter Cities Institute
Charter Cities Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that serves as the convening and research hub for the charter cities movement, advising governments, developers, and multilateral institutions through governance frameworks, research, and the annual New Cities Summit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Charter Cities Institute does
Charter Cities Institute (CCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research, convening, and advisory organization founded in 2017 by Dr. Mark Lutter and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization operates as the coordinating focal point for the global charter cities movement, advising governments in low- and middle-income countries (predominantly in the Global South across Africa and Asia), private new city developers, and multilateral institutions. CCI's mission is to advance charter cities as zones with reformed governance that can attract investment, accelerate economic growth, and address rapid urbanization in developing countries, drawing on the development trajectories of Shenzhen, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai as reference cases.
CCI's product portfolio is built around knowledge products and convening rather than commercial software. Core offerings include the Governance Handbook (a comprehensive guide to charter city administration), the Charter Cities Podcast (82+ episodes), the New Cities Map (an open-source database of 350+ master-planned cities since 1945), research papers and policy briefs on urbanization and industrial policy, reference guides including model laws, and the annual New Cities Summit (previously Kigali 2023, Nairobi 2025, and Johannesburg 2026 planned). Additional sub-brands include the Freedom Cities Podcast, Student Diaries blog, Bad Urban Laws project, and the Walking the Un-Walkable participatory research project on walkability in African cities.
CCI is funded through donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting economic development, supplemented by event sponsorships and partnership revenue from the New Cities Summit. The organization operates with a small team of approximately 10-15 staff members, including the Founder & Executive Director, Head of Operations, Head of Communications & General Counsel, Senior Advisor Government Relations, Head of Policy, Marketing & Communications Manager, Special Projects Associate, plus interns and contractors. Governance is provided by a board including W. Gyude Moore, David Nott, and Leonard Wantchekon, with advisory input from economists including Ed Glaeser (Harvard), Lant Pritchett, Stefan Dercon (Oxford), and Shruti Rajagopalan.
Charter Cities Institute firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Charter Cities Institute
- Legal name
- Charter Cities Institute
- Website
- https://chartercitiesinstitute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Charter Cities Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2017 that serves as the convening and research hub for the charter cities movement, advising governments, developers, and multilateral institutions through governance frameworks, research, and the annual New Cities Summit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Charter Cities Institute is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Charter Cities Institute business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: CCI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates on donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and organizations supporting economic development and poverty reduction
- Event Revenue: New Cities Summit and related events generate revenue through sponsorships, partnerships, and attendance fees
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Charter Cities Institute product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Charter Cities Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that produces research, policy frameworks, governance handbooks, and reference guides for charter cities, and convenes stakeholders through the annual New Cities Summit and podcast series. It serves as the coordinating hub for governments, new city developers, and multilateral institutions interested in implementing charter city governance models in low- and middle-income countries.
Product overview
Charter Cities Institute (CCI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as a research, convening, and advisory hub for the charter cities ecosystem. CCI's portfolio consists primarily of knowledge products and events rather than software: it publishes the Governance Handbook (a comprehensive guide for charter city rules and administration), produces the Charter Cities Podcast (82+ episodes featuring interviews with experts on governance and urban development), maintains the New Cities Map (an open-source database of 350+ master-planned cities), generates research papers and policy briefs on topics ranging from urbanization to industrial policy, offers reference guides including model laws and legislation templates, organizes the annual New Cities Summit (previously held in Kigali 2023, Nairobi 2025, with Johannesburg 2026 planned), and distributes a newsletter on charter city developments. These offerings work together to build awareness, provide technical guidance, and facilitate stakeholder connections within the charter cities movement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- New Cities Summit: Annual summit bringing together leaders from private and public sectors to address urban development challenges
- Charter Cities Podcast
- Freedom Cities Podcast
- Seeding the Future
- New Cities Map
- Governance Handbook
- Bad Urban Laws
- Student Diaries
Products and services
- Governance Handbook The first comprehensive guide that lays out the rules for charter cities and how they should be administered, serving as the foundational governance framework document for new city developers and governments.
- Charter Cities Podcast A podcast series featuring interviews with academics, public intellectuals, developers, and others working on charter cities and related topics, covering governance, urban planning, politics, and finance.
- New Cities Map An open-source database cataloging over 350 master-planned cities built worldwide since 1945, providing insights into city governance, finances, and planning to support future research and policy development.
- Research Papers & Policy Briefs Academic research papers and policy briefs covering topics including new cities, decentralized governance, industrial policy, special economic zones, cultural economics, and urban geography.
- Reference Guides Model laws, legislation, handbooks, and other materials for city developers and governments implementing charter city frameworks.
- New Cities Summit Annual conference bringing together government officials, city developers, investors, and individuals passionate about improving governance, featuring deal rooms, pitch competitions, and networking sessions.
- Walking the Un-Walkable Participatory research project mapping and addressing walkability in African cities, producing policy briefs and research grounded in evidence for pedestrian-friendly urban planning.
Quantifiable outcome
- Shenzhen grew from $137 average yearly income (1980) to $13,997 (2017)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Charter Cities Institute
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Charter Cities Institute technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Charter Cities Institute partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Waterfall City Management Company (WCMC)coreCCI has partnered with Waterfall City Management Company to host the 2026 New Cities Summit at Waterfall City in Johannesburg. Waterfall City is positioned as the largest mixed-use development in Africa, currently halfway through its 2,200-hectare buildout that will eventually house approximately 175,000 people.
- MIT Sustainable Urbanization LabmajorJoint hosting of the 2022 New Cities Conference focused on utilizing new cities in the 21st century as economic engines
- African Centre for the Study of the United States at the University of the WitwatersrandmajorJoint working paper series on charter cities in Africa to highlight scholarship of African scholars on how charter cities will shape the continent
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Charter Cities Institute competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Center for Global Development (CGD): Washington D.C.-based think tank focused on international development policy and economic governance. Comparable as a DC-based nonprofit producing development-economics research with similar funder base (foundations, governments).
- Urban Institute: Washington D.C.-based nonprofit research organization producing evidence-based insights on cities, housing, and governance. Comparable in structure (501(c)(3) policy research org), funding model (grants/foundations), and customer base (policymakers and urban stakeholders).
- Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: Nonprofit policy research organization focused on land policy, urban planning, and governance reform. Directly comparable in producing research, model laws, and advisory guidance to governments on urban governance reform.
- Overseas Development Institute (ODI): U.K.-based global affairs think tank focused on international development policy research. Comparable in mission (development policy), output type (research, convening, advisory), and funder profile (foundations, governments).
- New Cities Foundation: A nonprofit organization focused on incubating and promoting new city development worldwide. Highly comparable in mission (advancing new city models), stakeholder mix (governments, developers, multilaterals), and product type (research, convening, events).
Broad incumbents
- UN-Habitat: United Nations program focused on sustainable urbanization and human settlements. Comparable in setting urban governance norms and working with developing-country governments, though as a multilateral body rather than nonprofit think tank.
- World Resources Institute (WRI): Global research organization with major programs on sustainable cities and urban governance. Comparable in producing research and policy guidance for city-level decision-makers, especially in developing countries.
- Brookings Institution: Large, established D.C.-based public policy think tank with substantive urban policy and global development programs. Comparable in policy research and convening, though at much larger scale and broader topical scope than CCI.
Emerging players
- Cato Institute: Libertarian think tank that has explored 'freedom cities' as a related governance-reform concept. Comparable in promoting market-oriented governance reform ideas and overlapping with CCI's 'Freedom Cities Podcast' content line.
Others
- Habitat for Humanity International: Large nonprofit focused on housing and community development globally. Comparable in addressing urban housing/development issues in low- and middle-income countries, though via housing delivery rather than policy advocacy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Charter Cities Institute social profiles
Digital presenceCharter Cities Institute financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Charter Cities Institute leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles22 records
Charter Cities Institute funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Charter Cities Institute M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Charter Cities Institute
What does Charter Cities Institute do?
Charter Cities Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that produces research, policy frameworks, governance handbooks, and reference guides for charter cities, and convenes stakeholders through the annual New Cities Summit and podcast series. It serves as the coordinating hub for governments, new city developers, and multilateral institutions interested in implementing charter city governance models in low- and middle-income countries.
Is Charter Cities Institute a public or private company?
Charter Cities Institute is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Charter Cities Institute founded?
Charter Cities Institute was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Charter Cities Institute based?
Charter Cities Institute is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Charter Cities Institute make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are event Revenue.
Who are Charter Cities Institute's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Center for Global Development (CGD), Urban Institute, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and New Cities Foundation. Broad incumbents are UN-Habitat, World Resources Institute (WRI) and Brookings Institution. Cato Institute is listed as an emerging player. Habitat for Humanity International is listed as an others.
Does Charter Cities Institute have an API?
No public API is recorded for Charter Cities Institute.